With the weather forecasters beginning to mutter about heavy snowfall I wonder if we are going to get a white Christmas? Beyond the romantic notions of a white Christmas it just seems right. Winter should be cold, there should be snow otherwise what makes it a season distinct from the others? We’re heading up to Dorset to be with Steve’s family, it’s going to be a house heaving with brothers and sisters, cousins and aunts, grandparents and cats and dogs and I suspect by the 26th I will be heading towards a breakdown.

I know Christmas is a time to get together, to be with friends and family, to relax and have fun but honestly I can have lots of fun in a silent house, with sole command over the radio and TV, I’ll have that bottle of beautiful port all to myself and I won’t have to share the terrine. I’ll take the dog for a 2 hour walk along the cliffs without a backdrop of complaints and I’ll get to watch Doctor Who without my niece hanging off my ear and my father in law telling me how good Doctor Who is whilst I try to watch it. He’s loves it as much as I do but seems to be able to watch it and talk through it without it hampering his enjoyment one jot. It’s clearly a failing of mine that I can’t.

I’ll go to midnight mass and sing my heart out without the embarrassed murmur of offspring looking mortified. I’ll have smoked salmon and champagne on Towan beach for breakfast and will not be dragged away to open the presents.

As it is I’ll experience 48 of the noisiest hours of the year. There will be no respite and no silence but there will be lots and lots of laughter. There’s bound to be tears as the cousins are young and there’ll also be cries of “cheat” as once again we all try to fleece each other at cards. The fleecing becoming more and more apparent as the bottles fill up the bins. I doubt we’ll go to mass and I imagine all the presents will be opened in an ecstasy of fumblings before 8am. Greg will take control of the TV remote and we’ll all be subject to Jamie telling us how we should have cooked the turkey. And whilst I know this all sounds manic I’m also looking forward to it.

So whatever your Christmas is I hope it’s a good one. For those of you on your own, enjoy the peace and silence, for those of you with family enjoy the company, for those of you working, I hope that everyone you work for treats you with extra gratitude, for those of you that don’t celebrate Christmas I hope you enjoy the break and for those of you for whom Christmas is a rough and difficult time I hope it passes soon.